Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

(07/26/2026) Gospel Reading: Mathhew 13:44-52

“It Is I - Have No Fear”

 

I wait for the Lord;

my soul waits for his word.

 

From the desk of Fr. Leo

     St. (Pope) John Paul II became pope in October 1978. There were lots of bad news then. The cold war was threatening world peace. Modern culture was destroying traditional social and moral values. Priests and nuns were abandoning their vocations in huge numbers. Conservatives and liberals were battling over the implementation of Vatican II. His message to the Church and the world at the beginning of his long pontificate are the words we hear in this weekend’s gospel: “Be not afraid.”

Fear, of course, is a healthy thing when it motivates us to protect ourselves from some threat to the well-being of ourselves or of those, we love. Fear stimulates us emotionally to prepare for fight or flight. But a lot of people are consumed by fears that are groundless, irrational, or certain things we can do nothing about except pray.

     In last weekend's gospel, we heard about Jesus miraculously feeding over 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish. St. Matthew immediately follows that gospel with this weekend's gospel. The miraculous feeding took place on the sea of Galilee. Jesus made the disciples get into a boat and He went off to the hills alone to pray. St. Matthew leaves us to wonder why Jesus acted this way.

     The story of Jesus walking on the water is an unusual miracle. Usually when Jesus worked a miracle, He was responding to someone/'s needs: hunger, sickness, evil spirit possessions, storm on the sea. Jesus' walking on the water is simply a manifestation of His divine nature. Seeing Him approaching them, the Apostles panicked and Jesus said: take courage, it is I, be not afraid.” It is “I” is an important part of this weekend's gospel because it gives greater clarity about what this event meant. It could mean, “it's just me.” But it is also in Greek the name that God gave Moses when Moses wanted to know God's name: “I am”, or “I am who I am.”

     The Eucharistic symbolism that begins with the miracle of the feeding continues into the story of walking on the water. Here we have the Apostles struggling in the night, with the wind against them, feeling as if they were not making any progress. Suddenly Jesus assures them of His presence. He would not desert them. He brings courage and calms their fears by announcing His presence, which He will also do for us. He usually does this in the Eucharist when he tells us: “This is my body,” “this is my blood.”

Meditation: Does the Lord Jesus seem distant when trials or adversity come your way? It was at Jesus' initiative that the disciples sailed across the lake, only to find themselves in a life-threatening storm. Although they were experienced fishermen, they feared for their lives. While Jesus was not with them in the boat, he, nonetheless watched for them in prayer. When he perceived their trouble he came to them on the sea and startled them with his sudden appearance. Do you look for the Lord's presence when you encounter difficulty or challenges?

Fight fear with faith

This dramatic incident on the sea of Galilee revealed Peter's character more fully than others. Here we see Peter's impulsiveness - his tendency to act without thinking of what he was doing. He often failed and came to grief as a result of his impulsiveness. In contrast, Jesus always bade his disciples to see how difficult it was to follow him before they set out on the way he taught them. A great deal of failure in the Christian life is due to acting on impulse and emotional fervor without counting the cost. Peter, fortunately in the moment of his failure clutched at Jesus and held him firmly. Every time Peter fell, he rose again. His failures only made him love the Lord more deeply and trust him more intently.

The Lord keeps watch over us at all times, and especially in our moments of temptation and difficulty. Do you rely on the Lord for his strength and help? Jesus assures us that we have no need of fear if we trust in Him and in his great love for us. When calamities or trials threaten to overwhelm you, how do you respond? With faith and hope in God's love, care and presence with you?

Lord Jesus, help me to trust you always and to never doubt your presence and your power to help me. In my moments of doubt and weakness, may I cling to you as Peter did. Strengthen my faith that I may walk straight in the path you set before me, neither veering to the left nor to the right.

read more at: http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org

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